Bath City Women (2) 3 Wells City Ladies (1) 1 – Sunday 4 December 2022 – Somerset County WFL Division 1 – Twerton Park
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Goals from Emily Bristow, Koren Jones and Annie Hervey secured three points for Bath City Women in their final home fixture of 2022.
Bristow’s opener was cancelled out by Wells’ Caitlin Skinner, who capitalised on an error from stand-in keeper Paige Owen.
But Jones’ first goal for the club on the cusp of half-time regained the Romans’ advantage which they seldom looked like surrendering.
Hervey collected her fifth of the season soon after the restart to ultimately seal City’s win.
City started on the front foot and were rewarded with a 10th minute opener.
Chelsea Giles capitalised on a loose clearance and intelligently slipped the ball through to Bristow, who slammed home from 15 yards.
The winger’s afternoon turned sour five minutes later when she injured her ankle innocuously, which resulted in a trip to the RUH and x-ray for further examination.
Wells equalised on 20 minutes. Lucy Pitman started the move with a clever turn on halfway, her ball forward flicked off the heel of Chelsea Butcher towards Skinner, but Owen appeared to have the danger sussed having dashed off her line. However the ball squirmed through her grasp and Skinner was given the simplest of tasks to tap home from 10 yards.
Jade Whale was desperately unlucky to see her thunderous drive crash against the underside of the bar, but she played a part in City’s second.
Her corner saw Esme Fensome eventually tee up Jones, who tidily stroked home her first goal for the club from 18 yards out of Lucie Nurse’s reach.
Wright was denied by the finger-tips of Nurse in first half stoppage time and continued to be a nuisance after the break, claiming an assist for City’s third.
Again Wells didn’t cover themselves in glory with a Whale corner, this time Wright kept the move alive by backheeling the ball on to Hervey, who prodded home from six yards.
City enjoyed more possession for the remainder of the contest but couldn’t nab a fourth, largely down to some excellent defending from the visitors with Abby Gray outstanding, notably a last-ditch challenge to deny Ashanti Goulding as she accelerated clear.
Owen was largely untroubled at the other end as City made it back-to-back league wins to move them up to second in Somerset County Division One.
City’s Line-Up: Owen; Evans, Taylor, Curtis, Dellow; Whale, Giles; Bristow, Hervey, Fensome; Wright. Subs used: Diegutis, Hucker, Golding, Jones.
Scorers: City – Bristow (10), Jones (45), Hervey (48); Wells – Skinner (20)
Referee: Mark Vipond